Best Compressor For Acoustic Guitar (2024 Update)

While some claim this compressor is an optical compressor, that couldn't be further from the truth. This compressor is an OTA (operational transconductance amplifuer) design, much like a Ross or Dynacomp. That being said it is an improvement in that design. A big one. If you're into great tone does it really matter whether it is OTA, optical, flux capacitor, or glow plug? No. The bottom line is that this compressor is awesome! It can do the Ross/Dynacomp thing where it DOES squash and color your tone, or it can be as transparent as you want it to be. The key is to put that blend knob to use along with the other controls.Guitar74

I have the Mini Ego on another pedalboard and I love the sustain knob on the big brother. The pedal has phenomenal versatility. The tone control is very interactive and when switching from single coil to humbucker pickups all is needed is a tone adjustment to dial things in. Built like a tank and the footswitch is as quiet as a church mouse.stillbillsmith

I was slightly influenced by a review video made by one of my favourite guitarists Brent Mason. He spoke very highly about the pedal so that, along with other reviews and comparisons, made me decide to go for the Ego. It is a brilliant pedal and does everything I want from a compression pedal.mike k.

I bought this compressor intending to use it with both Fender Strat and my bass guitar. I am a professional music producer and listened to the unit carefully in the studio headphones. It is a great tool if you know what to use it for. When used with a strat it makes the sound crisp and places the funky clean tone perfectly in the mix. The tone is somewhat on the colder side, with bright fluid sustain added to the sound. Think about it as a sustainer first and then compressor. Great tool in the pallette. However, there are a few things to keep in mind: – the unit makes a sub low cut when engaged even with the minimum effect added to the direct signal. Bassists bear this in mind (unless you are a hardcore punk bassist playing with distortion and a pick and don't care much about your sub bass tone). It can also be felt on the clean electric guitar sound (if it's funky tone in the band setting you would cut off the low end of the strat anyway). – with higher compression ratio settings you get more sustain but some noise is also added. – if you want to use the 9V battery with the unit keep in mind that to change the battery you need to use a screwdriver for 4 screws to remove the back panel of the unit.J

I love this pedal. I play an Epi Les Paul Classic, into my pedalboard, and into a 90's Peavey Bandit. The amp has a Jensen Mod soesker, not the original Scorpion speaker. The Bandit with this speaker has a great clean channel. I'm a long time Fender guy. Strats and Teles. I like a clear, bright fundamental tone. I found myself compensating with the LP and using the bridge pickup a lot. But still not satisfied with the clean tones from the LP. That changed when I put the Keeley Compressor Plus on my board. The conbination of the Blend control and the Tone knob gives me what I want. The Tone control is, to my ear, an exceptional circuit. I get the bright, clear tone I need and superb sustain. This pedal is a godsend for playing slide. The compressor goes before my dirt pedals with beautiful results-1-. I use a Boss SD-1 overdrive and a Donner Dark Mouse – a Rat clone. I'm very impressed with this compressor. I put all controls at about 12:00, which the manual recommends for humbuckers. Minimal tweaks from there to get what I want. I love that it doesn't squash the life out of my pick attack. It is always on. Works great with acoustic/electrics as well. Great, musical piece of gear. Well done, Mr. Keeley.Mister G.

This is the perfect pedal for a clean boost. I play clean country, country rock, jazz, rock and roll, rockabilly, etc. and when I need to play lead I kick it in. No volume pedal guessing, just on and off. Only problem is I like it so much that I do not want to turn it off! Great design (with active LED readout while playing) and easy to adjust. Short battery life (3 hours) so be sure to order a 9volt wart or use a power supply. If only using battery power be sure to unplug the input on breaks or when through playing. With the power supply you can leave it plugged in as it disconnects the battery. One big plus, this baby works fantastic on acoustic guitars as well. Just turn the comp setting down below 12 o'clock. Highly recommended!Larryz

The CP1x unlike its predecessors CS1 2 and CS3 tend to typically lose a lot of the highs after the compression and alter the tone which has to be EQd then. The new CS1-X keeps the tone as natural. Also the digitals LEDS to show the signal are a nice touch. Not the mention the usual BOSS rugged metal body and metallic paint and metal look knob and control interface. Truly visually appealing too. Very pleased with my purchase.keithmendes

Compression is often one of those effects that people either swear by or ignore entirely. Some lesser compressors don't seem to do much of anything when you click them on & off but when you're connected to a good compressor, you'll see what all the fuss is about. The CP-1X from Boss is one of the best compressors out there. Dial in the knobs to your liking & listen to your playing come to life. Balanced dynamics, beautiful singing clean tones, enhanced note definition and sustain. You'll wonder how you ever went without one. Try one out. You'll be glad you did.Brandon

I bought this compression pedal to boost my acoustic signal as well as fatten the sound a bit. I love the size as it fits on my board perfectly. I leave it on all the time so it neatly fits up top. I mainly lead worship at my church and was looking to make my Martin D-15 sound more like it is supposed to plugged in.Mark

The Xotic SP Compressor is without a doubt a 5 Star product! For many years I used a 1953 Gibson ES 175 or 1966 Telecaster plugged into a MXR Dyna Comp and grew to appreciate the warm squash this device had to offer as I lost the taste for most all distortion devices on the market. The Dyna Comp was a simple two knob device that squeezed my signal rather nicely to which I still have 3 of them floating about the house. I also have the more expanded version, MXR Limiter dating from the early 80s that also does a nice job modifying my signal. The only initial down side to the Dyna Comp was a little bit of noise. However the real down side to the old Dyna Comp was sometime in the early 90s, after Dunlop acquired ownership of the MXR Product, decided to reduce the cost of production by having all the jacks, pots, and switch connected directly to the PC Board via solder bath. Not only did this process of assembly affect the durability of this classic old compressor, it also compromised the tone and performance of a one great pedal. The vintage Dyna Comps wired point to point are far superior product. If you have one, keep it! In the wake of the cheapening of the Dyna Comp came the Keeley Compressor. I bought a Keeler Compressor somewhere around 10 years ago a noticed an improvement in performance over my old Dyna Comps with less noise. And with going into great detail, every guitar, from my old 1951 L5 to any of my old Fender sound great through this compressor. So now a new and somewhat revolutionary compressor has hit in the market by way of the Xotic SP. These guys are making some of the best pedals that I?ve run across in years. By the time I got my SP I was already the proud owner of an EP Booster and SL Drive. To later I have to say it is the only distortion that has come out in the last 30 years with a decent sounding tone that does not narrow the bandwidth of your signal path. Not to mention these pedals just happen to be the cutest looking signal devices on the market. What really makes the SP Compressor outstanding is the 3 position Hi/Mid/Low switch. The versatility to this pedal via of this switch is just amazing. In the Hi mode I can match the performance of my Keeley and Dyna Comp compressors for Jazz applications. However, I have taken using the Mid position for a great Blues/Rock tone. In this position the pedal allows me to play over the top of the compressor for soaring highs. This works in great combination with my 1960 Telecaster with Barden pickups. Anyway, I highly recommend the Xotic SP Compressor with its advantage in versatility over other compressors on the market. And here?s the bonus, this pedal is priced about $100 less than the Keeley. My hat?s off to you folks at Xotic for manufacturing a fantastic compressor at an affordable price that will thousands of guitar players sound better and better. Now if you can reinvent the Sola Sound Tone Bender in one of these small bud boxes, that would be fantastic!David A

I tried the Wampler and it was too much going on and I could find a sound I like. That was my first compressor so i'm Sure it was me. With this one I set it to Humbucker setting per the manual and it was fantastic. I just made the volume a little lower so that it was the same as my OD and TS pedals so that I control the gain there not with the compresssor. I leave it on all the time now. I never realized how much better the sound would be from just this. I always thought of it just pushing down the high parts but the making the lower parts a little louder made a big difference. This is going to be on permanently. Crystal clear sound wise too.Mike CT

I'd used a Boss M50B for a few years, and it had the potential to everything one could ask… but in reality I simply used the compressor function and as a tuner. I also play keyboard and guitar, and real estate on my pedal board is at a premium. So I got this and a Peterson tuner, and I have to say the compresspr has exceeded my expectations. The tube setting provides a really warm sound, and the compression is better than the Boss. All in all I sound better, and have reduced the footprint of my gear in the process. Yes, I'd buy it again. Quality seems top notch. Value… its expensive for a single stomp box, but worth every penny.maineprivateer

A fantastic pedal that I keep on at all times with both electric and acoustic-electric. Has much improved the sound if my live play and studio recordingReviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is the perfect pedal for a clean boost. I play clean country, country rock, jazz, rock and roll, rockabilly, etc. and when I need to play lead I kick it in. No volume pedal guessing, just on and off. Only problem is I like it so much that I do not want to turn it off! Great design (with active LED readout while playing) and easy to adjust. Short battery life (3 hours) so be sure to order a 9volt wart or use a power supply. If only using battery power be sure to unplug the input on breaks or when through playing. With the power supply you can leave it plugged in as it disconnects the battery. One big plus, this baby works fantastic on acoustic guitars as well. Just turn the comp setting down below 12 o'clock. Highly recommended!Larryz

The CP1x unlike its predecessors CS1 2 and CS3 tend to typically lose a lot of the highs after the compression and alter the tone which has to be EQd then. The new CS1-X keeps the tone as natural. Also the digitals LEDS to show the signal are a nice touch. Not the mention the usual BOSS rugged metal body and metallic paint and metal look knob and control interface. Truly visually appealing too. Very pleased with my purchase.keithmendes

I bought this compression pedal to boost my acoustic signal as well as fatten the sound a bit. I love the size as it fits on my board perfectly. I leave it on all the time so it neatly fits up top. I mainly lead worship at my church and was looking to make my Martin D-15 sound more like it is supposed to plugged in.Mark

The Xotic SP Compressor is without a doubt a 5 Star product! For many years I used a 1953 Gibson ES 175 or 1966 Telecaster plugged into a MXR Dyna Comp and grew to appreciate the warm squash this device had to offer as I lost the taste for most all distortion devices on the market. The Dyna Comp was a simple two knob device that squeezed my signal rather nicely to which I still have 3 of them floating about the house. I also have the more expanded version, MXR Limiter dating from the early 80s that also does a nice job modifying my signal. The only initial down side to the Dyna Comp was a little bit of noise. However the real down side to the old Dyna Comp was sometime in the early 90s, after Dunlop acquired ownership of the MXR Product, decided to reduce the cost of production by having all the jacks, pots, and switch connected directly to the PC Board via solder bath. Not only did this process of assembly affect the durability of this classic old compressor, it also compromised the tone and performance of a one great pedal. The vintage Dyna Comps wired point to point are far superior product. If you have one, keep it! In the wake of the cheapening of the Dyna Comp came the Keeley Compressor. I bought a Keeler Compressor somewhere around 10 years ago a noticed an improvement in performance over my old Dyna Comps with less noise. And with going into great detail, every guitar, from my old 1951 L5 to any of my old Fender sound great through this compressor. So now a new and somewhat revolutionary compressor has hit in the market by way of the Xotic SP. These guys are making some of the best pedals that I?ve run across in years. By the time I got my SP I was already the proud owner of an EP Booster and SL Drive. To later I have to say it is the only distortion that has come out in the last 30 years with a decent sounding tone that does not narrow the bandwidth of your signal path. Not to mention these pedals just happen to be the cutest looking signal devices on the market. What really makes the SP Compressor outstanding is the 3 position Hi/Mid/Low switch. The versatility to this pedal via of this switch is just amazing. In the Hi mode I can match the performance of my Keeley and Dyna Comp compressors for Jazz applications. However, I have taken using the Mid position for a great Blues/Rock tone. In this position the pedal allows me to play over the top of the compressor for soaring highs. This works in great combination with my 1960 Telecaster with Barden pickups. Anyway, I highly recommend the Xotic SP Compressor with its advantage in versatility over other compressors on the market. And here?s the bonus, this pedal is priced about $100 less than the Keeley. My hat?s off to you folks at Xotic for manufacturing a fantastic compressor at an affordable price that will thousands of guitar players sound better and better. Now if you can reinvent the Sola Sound Tone Bender in one of these small bud boxes, that would be fantastic!David A

I tried the Wampler and it was too much going on and I could find a sound I like. That was my first compressor so i'm Sure it was me. With this one I set it to Humbucker setting per the manual and it was fantastic. I just made the volume a little lower so that it was the same as my OD and TS pedals so that I control the gain there not with the compresssor. I leave it on all the time now. I never realized how much better the sound would be from just this. I always thought of it just pushing down the high parts but the making the lower parts a little louder made a big difference. This is going to be on permanently. Crystal clear sound wise too.Mike CT

I have tried a LOT of compressors over the years, never kept any of them (as a solo boost) I can dial in the perfect amount of compression without killing the dynamics of the amp along with a mid boost and slight treble roll off to make my amp sing! I run the gain on the amp about 3 for "clean" and use the Bloom boost with just a little bit of bump to get into fat crunch and then the comp plus eq for solos. All controlled via MIDI Transparent, doesn't jack with my tone. I borrowed a friend's Synergy Syn 1 with the DS module for a week with the intention of buying one.. no more.Charles

Overall: This optical compressor, EQ, and boost pedal is an all around work horse. The optical compression is really smooth and subtle, which I prefer! The presets are nice to dial in different types and they can be tweaked via MIDI if you're looking for that level of tweakability. I found myself setting it the country mode and really only tweaking the blend knob to control the overall sound of the comp. I like that I can keep as much dry signal as I want to retain some of the dynamic while really pushing the compressed frequencies. The boost is a standard clean boost that adds nice clarity and sparkle. Then you have a three band EQ that adds extra flexibility. All three effects can be turned on and off independently of each other and their is a "bloom" mode with the boost where it will swell in if you press and hold. That's a nice little trick but I don't think I'll use it too much since the boost is almost always on. I use this as a table setter for the rest of my rig now. Great choice for anyone looking for studio quality optical compression!Adam

I'll try to keep this short. I was looking for a 'Trey tone' type compressor that could give me that dynamic attack that Trey's Ross Compressor gives him. This pedal does that very well. In fact, this is a damn good compressor, slightly different than the Dyna Comp and not just because of the attack but an overall slightly different flavor.I put the Super Comp after my Barber LTD (Sliver=Awesome) and wahla! Instant Trey tone.. kinda, you gotta fiddle with the Overdrive and EQ on your amp to get close to that tone. But overall this is a good compressor.Huge CON: Its terribly noisy. Its very difficult to tame this noise because i like to keep the compressor on all the time (except with the Q Tron on). I have to use my Volume pedal to silence my signal when im not playing or else deal with feedback or noise. (Not feedback due to other effects on as well, just w/. compressor on)Other than the noisy-ness, this is a pretty good compressor. Attack nob is very useful, you can go from Trey Tone to complete transparency. Check one out and fiddle with it, it takes some real fiddling if your gonna use it with other pedals to get your sound.Jesus-i9BdY

Overall: I was building a 'short board,' and I got a Super Comp. It is really priceless at the beginning of my chain. I have a DynaComp, a Soul Preacher, and a couple of digital multis that do compression. Sould Preacher is by far the best. Edges out the Soul Preacher on having a really fine attack adjustment. The EHX comp is just lacking. DynaComp is okay, but it is NOISY. The noise difference alone is enough to justify the $10 to step up to a SuperComp. It's maybe a little bit better sounding than DynaComp, and slightly more adjustable with the attack setting. SuperComp is for sure my favorite comp right now. I know I will draw some complaints with this one, but I would see absolutely no reason to own a DynaComp with the SuperComp available. $10 gets you soooo much…. IMO of course.Michael

I can't profess to be an expert on compressors but I understand the concept. I wanted to add a ringing sustained fullness to a fairly full sounding rig and browsed myriad reviews of the MXR line. [Going to MXR was a no brainer. They are analog – Boss and most others are digital.] The Super Comp seemed to best suit my needs and it has made a remarkable improvement in my overall sound. Having the attack control knob is a huge plus. I play a lot of sustained notes and placing the Super Comp between the MXR 10 band EQ and Dist.+ creates a creamy fluid sustain that oozes for several full measures – it can begin to feedback but that isn't entirely bad, is it? The compressor isn't a drastic pedal like an OD or distortion but once you find your 'right' setting, it is a pedal you will turn on and leave on. Attached is a photo showing the FX chain with the settings for the Super Comp. and the Dist.+ highlighted. [Not shown is a reverb and Bad Horsie wah. The wah goes in between the Super Comp. and Dist.+] (For more "zing" bump up the gain slider on the EQ to a +3.) A Gibson Les Paul, Epiphone Les Paul, and Fender Tele and Strat were all used and all sounded more powerful and dynamic. A Kustom KG210FX 20w was the amp I used. I first used my vintage 6 watt 1979 Fender Champ and quickly learned that you could blow up a small amp with this rig. I built a home studio in a spare bathroom and a compressor is a must-have piece of equipment for recording, especially undistorted sounds. I didn't notice any coloring of tone on clean settings, the Tele lead pup is a Duncan vintage model and it rings like a bell and sustains almost like an organ. Almost. I have one of almost every type of pedal and a compressor was the last effect I bought. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have bought it years ago. Oh, and make sure you get the Super Comp. The attack control knob is worth its weight in gold.Les Paul Disciple

I pride myself on having a very minimal reliance on pedals. For the longest time, all I used in my rig was a delay for slapback, which I thought was enough to get my country/rockabilly tone. After watching the ad for the EHX Platform, I knew I had to incorporate this pedal into my rig. The compression and limiter functions are great as standalones, but the drive and swell features added an immense amount of versatility to this pedal. I can now create pedal steel sounds, and add as much fuzz to my tone as I'd ever need (and then some). My only gripe is that I wish the dials were constructed with metal, which would make the pedal more durable. That's a minor con for an otherwise fantastic pedal. Coming from someone who tends to steer away from pedals, I can't recommend this enough!rockabilly96

FUN pedal! Great compressor, with capability of very light compression, to very "squishy," if wanted or needed, And, the "Backwards" feature is an interesting, and Fun feature. Build quality, and ease of use are top notch, of course. The pedal was used, but in "Like New" condition, with all the "box candy" in tact. ProAudioStar was excellent to work with, and the pedal arrived well packed, and a day earlierthan anticipated. Great overall purchase experience. Would recommend, and buy from them, in the future, as the need arises. Cheers,Charlie BrownCourageousLizard-12820

Excellent compressor range with plenty of control and the added bonus of the swell knob to articulate your playing further. The drive option suits me perfectly as it is not the 'take your ears off' scream but a lovely smooth sound with loads of sustain, like the original Black Finger pedal (not the valve one). Three distinct and eminently useable effects, making the pedal very good value for money and a great addition to a player's arsenal.awrf53

Studio grade compressor in a pedal. Can be as subtle or extreme as necessary. The auto switch and Hard/soft switches are very clever and really work. Very well built. Small footprint fits easily on a pedal board.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Fantastic compressor with side chain. I'm using it for a live electronic setup where I want the bass synth to duck when the kick is playing. Basic really but since I'm using different machines for each sound the Emptess Comp has been a life saver. Great build and relatively easy to use although the side chain output needs strange cables. But you can get around it.Reviewed by SX Pro customer

Great compressor with LED lights to aid sound choices. Will have to be more careful with this one as the power input is a bit fragile.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Amazing compressor, super transparent but allows for some tone sculpting if transparency isn't your thing. Sidechain works a treat (you need a stereo breakout cable for it).Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I originally bought this effect pedal because I play keyboards on Saturday morning/afternoon at a local restaurant and the way the sound system was set up, there were a lot of peaks and valleys in the sound. The waitresses would come over and ask me to turn down (and rarely, turn up) the volume. Remembering that I used an MXR DynaComp before in one of my Top 40 groups to smooth out my synth solo lines and add "punch" to certain sounds, I located one on Ebay and bought it. At first my intention was to run it on the effects send/return lines of my Yorkville KB-50 keyboard amplifier, but when I did that, I noticed that there was noticeable distortion in the resulting sound output. Taking the signal straight from the keyboard mixer into the MXRs input solved that problem. I also now get rave reviews from nearly all my performances- not that I have gotten any better, but the sound quality has been markedly improved with my addition of this effect pedal to my setup. One quirk I did notice is that the device powers on when you plug into either the input or the output jack. The MXR DynaComp I had years before only came on when you plugged a cord into the INPUT jack. I'm not sure if they changed the wiring design or if something might be miswired somewhere. The pedal is solidly built and all the controls have a rugged, professional feel. The OUTPUT and SENSITIVITY knobs move smoothly, with no clicks or hangs and I love the rubber grabber rings on them that respond to your toe's lightest touch. One alkaline 9V battery lasts for many many gigs (months) so you're not always spending money buying batteries.so_kuhl56

The Dyna Comp deserves its reputation as a classic, an industry standard. The compression is natural, not too obvious, and with minimal tone coloration. There are just two knobs: 1) the Output control, which is equivalent to the make-up gain control on other compressors, and 2) the Sensitivity control. The latter combines the typical threshold, ratio, attack, and release controls into a single knob optimized for guitar. It makes finding the right setting a breeze. If you're looking for more extreme compression for a more "squashed" sound, this unit won't do, but for most applications, I recommend it. I've had a Dyna Comp in my studio for years. I never turn it off when I'm recording electric guitars. (Doesn't matter if it's clean or overdrive; single coils or humbuckers. They always sound better when the pedal is engaged.) Now I've added a second Dyna Comp, this one for my live rig.Gordon the Pro

I've played as a very avid hobbyist for most of my life. I recently decided to try out a compressor and did a ton of online research. I thought I wanted one with a parallel blending function but that added a bit more cost and this (basic) pedal was sort of the "standard choice" so it seemed like a safe purchase for my first compressor. I had a chance to try it out last night and was very impressed with its effectiveness. It very powerfully evened out the volume to a desirable consistency. I gently fingerpicked a bit, then took a pick and strummed very aggressively – they were very consistent volume. There was a little more sustain – not a huge amount but a nice added bit. I did notice the pedal settings might seem "finicky" but there is a "sweet spot" where it just works like magic – so the trick is to play a bit and adjust the controls until you get the sweet spot for you. Once you find that setting it's a really wonderful pedal and I wish I would have done this years ago. Now, it's not perfect and it tends to add a little noise to the chain. Again, this is more/less noticeable depending upon the settings – once you fiddle with the settings you can minimize the noise. Also, I read that it is recommended to put this first in your pedal chain, which makes sense, since you are evening out the guitar's signal and sustaining right from the guitar into all the other effects. Doing so, made this a much more transparent effect without that weird "squished" sound people talk about. I did not find this to be a tone killer at all – Again, if you use it as a subtle evening out of your input volumes it won't be noticeable. If you heavily compress your signal then, yes, you will get some tone loss.fazool

Nearly everything I record gets tracked through the Distressors. Even if they're barely doing any gain reduction, they add just enough weight and harmonic excitement to always improve the sound. If I could only have one compressor, it would easily be this one.Sam

I've been using plug-ins for over a decade and this was my first piece of gear in to the analog realm. I knew just using the emulations, I wanted a Distressor just based on the color and how versatile this unit is. The way I can slam -14dB of gain reduction is not the same in software, I can promise you that. I mainly got this for tracking/using the tape saturation to warm up colder, digital sounds, but they're so great, I plan on getting a second unit in the future for mix buss processing!Dylan

I bought this compression pedal to boost my acoustic signal as well as fatten the sound a bit. I love the size as it fits on my board perfectly. I leave it on all the time so it neatly fits up top. I mainly lead worship at my church and was looking to make my Martin D-15 sound more like it is supposed to plugged in.Mark

The Xotic SP Compressor is without a doubt a 5 Star product! For many years I used a 1953 Gibson ES 175 or 1966 Telecaster plugged into a MXR Dyna Comp and grew to appreciate the warm squash this device had to offer as I lost the taste for most all distortion devices on the market. The Dyna Comp was a simple two knob device that squeezed my signal rather nicely to which I still have 3 of them floating about the house. I also have the more expanded version, MXR Limiter dating from the early 80s that also does a nice job modifying my signal. The only initial down side to the Dyna Comp was a little bit of noise. However the real down side to the old Dyna Comp was sometime in the early 90s, after Dunlop acquired ownership of the MXR Product, decided to reduce the cost of production by having all the jacks, pots, and switch connected directly to the PC Board via solder bath. Not only did this process of assembly affect the durability of this classic old compressor, it also compromised the tone and performance of a one great pedal. The vintage Dyna Comps wired point to point are far superior product. If you have one, keep it! In the wake of the cheapening of the Dyna Comp came the Keeley Compressor. I bought a Keeler Compressor somewhere around 10 years ago a noticed an improvement in performance over my old Dyna Comps with less noise. And with going into great detail, every guitar, from my old 1951 L5 to any of my old Fender sound great through this compressor. So now a new and somewhat revolutionary compressor has hit in the market by way of the Xotic SP. These guys are making some of the best pedals that I?ve run across in years. By the time I got my SP I was already the proud owner of an EP Booster and SL Drive. To later I have to say it is the only distortion that has come out in the last 30 years with a decent sounding tone that does not narrow the bandwidth of your signal path. Not to mention these pedals just happen to be the cutest looking signal devices on the market. What really makes the SP Compressor outstanding is the 3 position Hi/Mid/Low switch. The versatility to this pedal via of this switch is just amazing. In the Hi mode I can match the performance of my Keeley and Dyna Comp compressors for Jazz applications. However, I have taken using the Mid position for a great Blues/Rock tone. In this position the pedal allows me to play over the top of the compressor for soaring highs. This works in great combination with my 1960 Telecaster with Barden pickups. Anyway, I highly recommend the Xotic SP Compressor with its advantage in versatility over other compressors on the market. And here?s the bonus, this pedal is priced about $100 less than the Keeley. My hat?s off to you folks at Xotic for manufacturing a fantastic compressor at an affordable price that will thousands of guitar players sound better and better. Now if you can reinvent the Sola Sound Tone Bender in one of these small bud boxes, that would be fantastic!David A

I tried the Wampler and it was too much going on and I could find a sound I like. That was my first compressor so i'm Sure it was me. With this one I set it to Humbucker setting per the manual and it was fantastic. I just made the volume a little lower so that it was the same as my OD and TS pedals so that I control the gain there not with the compresssor. I leave it on all the time now. I never realized how much better the sound would be from just this. I always thought of it just pushing down the high parts but the making the lower parts a little louder made a big difference. This is going to be on permanently. Crystal clear sound wise too.Mike CT

I was a little skeptical of the price of this compressor but since I already own a VAMP 3 and it is very good so I decided to try it. The unit is made of a kind of indestructible plastic and is very solid. I like the added controls for volume and tone as well as the compression controls. The compression is excellent and the attack sweep is pronounced and has a wide range that is really useful. It sounds especially good on the split coil settings and is smooth and extremely quiet. I would definitely recommend this pedal to anyone. It may not be as good as ones that cost 4 or more times as much but it is pretty close.Jerzy

Maybe its just because its the first compressor Ive owned, but this paired with a Behringer noise suppressor has completely made my playing time more enjoyable. Its clean and quiet and makes everything you play sound lush, warm, and interesting. Lots of ability to dial this pedal to your taste. If you are losing faith in your playing or just getting bored with your sound, pick this pedal and a noise suppressor up. You wont be disappointed. And the price/value ratio couldnt be better in my opinion.yellowbrickroadcommodities

First Dynacomp I've owned , so not sure how it compares …. same circuit as the script so it's a good value with more control . It's comparable to my Keeley comp plus , just different , but it also has enhancing properties for the guitar and is quiet in operation …I have like 30 guitar pedals and it will be a keeper . I like rack Dbxs and vca compressors , but this pedal does the job well …. doing research on different types of compresssion circuits helps u understand how they afffect sounds …. anywAy , a good pedal to own ….Dee

Essentially it's as good as the standard version but with extra control with clean blend and tone on the top plus the attack button. Supposedly similar circuitry to the retro re-issue, haven't compared versions, what I can say is this one is nice. Personally find the wet/dry clean blend most useful of the added features over the 'normal' one.Samuel H.

This compressor has that classic glue and punch that you’d expect from a very famous “console based” bus compressor, but with some extras. Ever since I got this compressor for my mixbus, my mixes have become wider, punchier, more dynamic. There’s a special feature in this compressor that I really enjoy and it’s the Engage transformers button. Now this adds some output color to your signal and can do some unbelievable things to the space in your mix when pushing the makeup gain a little more. Now why I find this interesting is that you can go for different vibes depending on your attack, release time, and ratio. That’s a given. But with the engage transformers in you can get tape like compression and color or tube like saturation in my opinion if you dial in the right settings. You gotta play around with this bus compressor to see it’s true potential and at this price point I’m absolutely stunned.Daiquan

This unit works better than I expected. It sounds great and helps the music pop out of the speakers so to speak. The compression is almost transparent but you can hear it, it’s smooth and subtle. I have only tried it on a few things thus far. Analog is better than digital IMO so I will be investing in some more outboard gear. Great job Warm Audio.Hitmann Payne

Excellent piece of kit. Beautifully designed and well made. Fender have also really thought about the functionality too. It has made me consider Fender for future pedals.Customer

Not only does it do its job as a compressor, it adds something to your tone. Could easily be an always on pedal. The overdrive for your clean tone, as Dan and Mick say.spongefrank

Excellent range of adjustments,doesnt colour the sound. Pedal is solidly built and battery compartment is clever. Switchable LEDs are a great idea.gordonlaurie